13
The Letter from Hogwarts
Chapter 1
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I didn't know I was a witch. I guess it was just something my parents had decided to hide from me my whole life. Austin wasn't a wizard, or else he would have received his letter three years ago.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Perry,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
"Mom," I said to my mother in the living room of our apartment in New York City, USA.
"Yeah, honey?" Mom said, doing house work.
"I got a letter from Hogwarts," I explained, handing her the letter. She smiled when she read it. Then she gestured for me to sit next to her on the couch.
"Yes, honey," she said. "You are a witch. Your father was a wizard, and you inherited it from him. Your brother Austin somehow didn't inherit it, and so he is all human."
"So, you're gonna send me to Hogwarts for sixth grade?" I asked.
"Well, let's think about it," Mom said with a deep breath. "Hogwarts is all the way over in England. It'll be a big change for you; being so faraway from home."
I took a moment to think this over. It was kind of shocking to hear that I was a witch and that I was going to be going to a different country to go to a school that I would be going to for seven years. Did I want to?
"I think I want to go," I said, letting the words slip out of my mouth. I tucked a strand of my golden blond hair behind my ear nervously. I always did this when I was nervous. My bangs were so long anyway, that they were always getting in my face.
"Okay," Mom said smiling kindly. "I'm gonna ask your father how to do that sending-the-owl thingy. He went to Hogwarts growing up, so he'd obviously know a lot more about it than I do. Maybe he'll talk to you about the school while you're out buying your supplies soon."
"Okay," I said nodding.
Mom stood up and left the room. I heard her talking to Dad in the next room. I didn't hear what they were saying, but I could hear the tones of their voices. Dad sounded excited. He took the news very well.
After a few minutes my older brother Austin walked up to me with a teasing smile on his face. "Haha, you have to go to Hogwarts," he laughed. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was jealous.
"Yeah, that's right, Austin," I said with a proud grin.
He could tell I knew he was jealous, so he frowned and walked away.
Then Dad walked into the room. He had a bright smile on his face. "Hey, Carly," he said. "What do you say to go shopping for some school supplies at Diagon Alley?"
"Diagon Alley?" I repeated curiously.
"It's in London," Dad said, noticing the surprised look on my face. "But I know a spell that can get us there right away. I'll send your owl to Hogwarts tonight."
"Um, okay," I said. "Are we going now?"
"Yeah," he replied. "We're going now."
We left the apartment and took a walk over toward an old hotel where there was a fireplace in the lobby. Dad handed me a small object that looked like a piece of coal.
"It's called Floo powder. Now," he said. "All you have to do is close your eyes and say very clearly, Diagon Alley."
I squeezed the small object tight. "Diagon Alley!"
I suddenly felt like I was being jolted around. I screamed. I opened my eyes and saw that I was now on a road filled with busy people and shops. There were a bunch of children about my age, excitedly entering the stores.
Two seconds later my dad showed up next to me. I got startled when he appeared so I jumped. "Sorry," he said.
"No, it's not your fault," I assured him.
"Okay, then, let's take a look at that supply list, shall we?" Dad said, putting his hand on my back. I handed him the supply list.
"Hey, Stanley," said a guy passing by us.
"Hi," Dad said in response. He had a confused look on his face. "He must have been someone from Hogwarts, but I don't recognize him. It's not Sirius Black or Remus Lupin, for sure. It can't be James Potter or Peter Pettigrew. They both died years ago. And plus, I would know Peter Pettigrew if I saw him, and that's definitely not him."
"Who are they, Dad?" I asked curiously.
"They were some of my friends from Hogwarts," Dad replied.
"How did Potter and Pettigrew die?" I asked.
Dad looked uneasy. "Well, we don't speak of that."
I gave him a look. He ignored it. "Alright, then," he said. "Let's take a look at this."
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Uniform
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
Course Books
All students should have a copy of each of the following
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
1 wand
1 cauldron
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"So, do you want an owl, a cat, or a toad?" Dad asked me.
"An owl, definitely," I replied.
Cats kinda made me nervous, and I just didn't like toads. An owl would be perfect. So Dad and I walked into a store and bought a brown owl. I named him Bush. I couldn't think of any other name to give him. I set his cage up on the shopping cart I was pushing. After buying Bush we bought some school books and supplies.
We walked over to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'. Dad smiled at me and pat me on the back. "Why don't you go pick out your robe?"
I nodded at him and walked over to the Hogwarts robes. There were two boys being fit up at the moment. The first one was a boy with a pale, pointed face and white blond hair. The second one was small with untidy black hair and green eyes that were covered by glasses.
"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," the blond boy said to the boy with the glasses. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't know why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow. Have you got your own broom?"
"No," said the second boy.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"No."
"I do- Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"
"No."
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been- imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Hmm," the second boy said, uninterested.
"Hi!" I said in a friendly tone of voice, interrupting their conversation. They looked up at me. "Hi, my name is Carly Perry. I see you guys are going to Hogwarts. Me too!"
The blond boy scowled. "Carly Perry?" he repeated. "I know who you are: the golden blond hair, hazel-green eyes, tan skin, American accent. Your father's muggle-born, wasn't he?"
"What's that?" I asked. "Muggle?"
"Non-magic," the blond boy clarified.
I laughed. "No, not at all. My father's a wizard."
"I know that," the blond boy said, not at all humored. "I know your father's a wizard, but my father told me your father was born a muggle. In other words, he didn't have magic parents."
"Well, I don't really know whether Grandma and Grandpa are magic, but-"
"Don't worry," the blond boy sneered. "My father knows everything about everyone. He'd be more than willing to give you any information on your family."
As creepy as that sounded, it also sounded kinda friendly. I smiled excitedly. "Thank you!" I said.
The boy looked amused, as if I was missing the point. "No problem," he said in response. The boy with the dark hair and the glasses smiled sympathetically at me. The blond boy stared at me, as if waiting for me to leave.
"I think I've found the robe I want," I said, grabbing a robe. "Bye, guys." I walked away with it and waved back.
"See you at Hogwarts, Perry," the blond boy said after me. He put a big emphasis on my last name.
I skipped over to my dad and showed him the robe. "I want these kinds of robes. I need two more, right?"
"Yes, I think that's right," Dad said nodding. "You go get the two others."
I nodded and skipped back over toward the rack where the boys were standing.
"That's Hagrid," the boy with the glasses was saying to the blond boy. "He works at Hogwarts."
I turned around and saw a friendly looking giant standing outside the store window with a fuzzy beard and a big grin on his face. He was holding two large ice creams.
"Oh," said the blond boy. "I've heard of him. He's sort of a servant, isn't he?"
"He's the gamekeeper," the boy with the glasses said.
"Wait," the blond boy said in a hushed tone.
I looked up and noticed he was glaring at me. I smiled back at him. The boy with the glasses glanced at me for a moment and then returned his glance to the blond boy. I grabbed two more robes and gave them to my father. He set them upon the cashier register, and had them paid for.
Dad smiled and then we left the store. He stopped at the entrance. "Rubeus Hagrid!" he said with a smile. "I haven't seen you in a long time."
"Stanley!" the giant said smiling. "Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
"This is my daughter Carly," Dad said, referring to me.
"How are yeh doin'?" Hagrid asked me.
"Good," I replied. "So you're the game keeper?"
"Yeah, that's right," Hagrid said. "So, are yeh excited about goin' to Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, I can't wait," I said enthusiastically. "I already met two students. Everyone seems so friendly."
"That's good," Hagrid said. "Now I don't want for yeh to take this the wrong way or anythin', but I can't stop to chit-chat right now. I gotta finish these ice creams here, or I'm never gonna be allowed in that store."
"No, that's perfectly fine," Dad said understandingly. "We're gonna be going now to shop for Carly's wand."
Hagrid smiled. "Ah, wand shopping."
"Yeah, and it was nice to see you again, Rubeus," Dad said as he and I started off.
"Yeh too," Hagrid said in agreement.
"Bye, Hagrid," I said. "See you at Hogwarts."
"Okay, here we are, Carly," Dad said two minutes later. "Ollivanders: the best place for getting wands. I got my wand at Ollivanders too."
I felt nervous. I'd never seen a magic wand before, and I didn't know what to do with it once I got it.
We entered the wand store. Inside was a ton of boxes piled up to the ceiling on every square inch of the room. Dad and I stepped in line to buy our wands. We stood behind a blond woman dressed in very fancy clothes. Once she was handed a wand she turned around and smirked at Dad.
"Stanley," she said arrogantly.
"Narcissa," Dad said in response. He looked uneasy.
The woman smirked and left the store.
"Hello," said Mr. Ollivanders. He was a very old man with wide, pale eyes. "Stanley Perry!"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivanders," Dad said politely. "We're here today to buy a wand for my daughter Carly. She's going to be attending Hogwarts this year."
Mr. Ollivanders smiled warmly at me. "Congratulations to you, Miss Perry."
"Thank you," I said in response.
"A wand, huh?" Mr. Ollivanders said. "Let's see what I can do for you."
He began handing me several different kinds of wands and asking me to try them out. None of them were working for me until I tried a Maple and phoenix feather. "Grand, just grand," Mr. Ollivanders said. "I'm still a bit surprised the Mahogany didn't work for you. It worked very well for you, didn't it, Stanley?"
"Yes, it did," Dad said nodding. "Thank you, Mr. Ollivanders. Have a good rest of your day."
"You too," Mr. Ollivanders said nodding.
Dad set my wand down on my shopping cart along with all my other supplies. He took a deep breath when we were out of the wand store. "So, what did you think of that, Carly?"
"I've never shopped so much in my life," I said out of breath.
Dad chuckled. "Don't worry. The hard work's over. Now all we have to think about is September 1st. I'm going to take you to King's Cross Station, and I'll help you find your train at Platform 9 and 3 Quarters."
"Platform 9 and 3 Quarters?" I repeated curiously.
Dad shrugged. "That's what it is," he chuckled.
"Oh," I said. "Okay."
...........
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR MY OC AND HER FAMILY! EVERYTHING ELSE BELONGS TO J.K. ROWLING!
Author's Note: Alright, so let me give you a little background on Carly Perry. She is eleven years old with tan skin, golden blond hair, and hazel-green eyes. She lives in New York City with her mother, her father, and her fourteen year old brother Austin. Her mother and brother are both human, and her father was born into a human family, but is a wizard.
Carly is a very friendly, outgoing girl. Sometimes she seems a bit awkward, quirky, and even dorky. She grew up going to a human elementary school where she had two best friends, a girl with red hair and glasses named Nicole Smith and a girl with long brown hair named Jackie Howard. Carly has to say good bye to them when she starts school at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Okay, so obviously Carly is going to Hogwarts the same year as Harry Potter, so there will be a few scenes in the upcoming chapters from J.K. Rowling's amazing novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This fanfic is fan made and not for profit. All the rights, of course, except for my OC and her back story, belong to her. She is a brilliant writer.
So let's talk about what's happened in the story so far.
Carly has just found out she was a witch. That is a big change in her life. And right after that she goes shopping with her father at Diagon Alley for her Hogwarts supplies. While she is there she meets two nameless boys. One of them seems rather nice but shy, and the other one seems rather unapproachable. Carly knows this about him, but being the optimistic person that she is, she wants to think the best of him, and think that he just had an off day. She doesn't even wonder whether or not he will be a problem at Hogwarts. (All you big HP fans will automatically know who the boys are.)
How do you think Carly's first year at Hogwarts is going to be? How do you think her train ride is going to be? I'll update soon so you can find out.
Please R&R! But be nice! I'm very sensitive.
